


The Skeletons and the Horror Bitty

by LittlestLilies



Series: The Horror Bitty Series [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Bitty Reader (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Bittybones (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Horrortale (Undertale), Angst, Bad Neutral Ending Horrortale, Death, Empress Undyne Neutral Ending Horrortale, F/F, F/M, Having fun being evil, Hurt/Comfort, I will add links to the music, Manipulative!Reader, Murder, Musical numbers will occure, Overcoming Trauma, Past Abuse, Reader will do anything for the Horror!brothers, Romance on Hard Mode, Slow Burn, Smart!Reader, Trauma, killer!reader, reverse harem - freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:48:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28448685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittlestLilies/pseuds/LittlestLilies
Summary: You fixed it! You finally fixed that stupid machine!You and your boys could finally escape this cannibalistic hellhole!...What do you mean this isn't our universe? There are alternate versions of your boys?!If they're going to try and send you back to that place, then you'll have to come up with a plan.And being the size of a Bitty wasn't going to stop you.
Relationships: Everyone/Original Female Character, Everyone/Reader, Papyrus (Horrortale)/Reader, Papyrus (Swapfell)/Reader, Papyrus (Underswap)/Reader, Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader, Papyrus(Underfell)/Reader, Sans (Horrortale)/Reader, Sans (Swapfell)/Reader, Sans (Underfell)/Reader, Sans (Underswap)/Reader, Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Series: The Horror Bitty Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2087718
Comments: 45
Kudos: 234





	1. The Anomalies

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Bitty Hunt](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12590324) by [Rnd_Injustice](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rnd_Injustice/pseuds/Rnd_Injustice). 
  * Inspired by [THE ALPHA TIMELINE](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19743544) by [Sh33tMeDead336](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sh33tMeDead336/pseuds/Sh33tMeDead336). 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> G arrives in a small town on a job to find the new pair of brothers, but he gets more than he bargains for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is from G!Sans' pov (3rd person). The rest will be Reader 2nd POV.

G rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he roamed around the small country town at the base of Mount Ebott. He heaved a sigh as he stared listlessly up at the clear blue sky. The fur on the hooded leather jacket smoothly slipping between the gaps of his phalanges, while the gentle breeze whistled through the gaping hole in the palm of his hands.

Passers-by's gentle footsteps drifted on the summer breeze, while the distant chatter from the centre of town should've been the ideal vacation spot. You know, get away from the hustle and bustle of city life to isolate and allow yourself a moment to think, reconnect with nature and all the nonsense that G didn't have the time for. 

No, unfortunately, a job brought him all the way out to this wretched place, and it thoroughly gave him the creeps.

But something was seriously wrong; he just couldn’t quite put his finger precisely on what it was. And it was seriously starting to grate on his bones.

Naturally, G first chalked it up to being at the base of Mount Ebott that was bothering him.

While he lived in a version of the Underground known as the Shift, it was still his prison. And after discovering just how many alternate universes were trapped underneath that mountain, it wasn’t a surprise that all the monsters moved as far away from it as possible.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the reason G found himself so strung up.

He had been staying in this small town for more than three days already. At first glance, there wasn’t anything odd about it. It was the same as any other country town that was a little too far from a decent size population – the people knew each other a little too well, but they could avoid conflict and not rock the boat too much.

In all respects, there wasn’t anything wrong with it.

So, that nagging grating feeling should’ve faded by now…

But it hadn’t.

It had to be the staring, right? - From the human residents?

It might’ve been a relatively normal thing for monsters to receive a few curious or hostile stares from humans. Given their physiological differences, G couldn’t fault anyone wanting a closer look.

This town though…it wasn’t on the level G was expecting.

Just about everywhere he turned, cold eyes stared and examined him closely, but they quickly turned away and returned to doing whatever business had brought them out the moment he returned the look. It was as if they were studying him, examining him as if he were some threat to their entire lives, but feared that drawing his attention would invoke his ire.

And while those type of reactions happened on occasion, for a whole town to react similarly was uncanny.

The townsfolk were odd, so G thought it best to avoid them if possible.

After two days of staying in the town, it was as if everyone knew he was there and they gathered whatever information they needed and now…they didn’t bother staring at him anymore.

…

Well, they didn’t stare as much.

…

He could still hear their whispering and see the nervousness in their posture.

No…

It was definitely something else.

No matter where he went, there were eyes firmly planted on the back of his skull, and unless he was in a place of social privacy like the bathrooms (despite never needing to go), they continued to follow him.

G wondered if this sudden consciousness over being watched had anything to do with anomalies he was searching for. He really hoped it was because otherwise, he was going to have to call for back up.

He didn’t think he was sleeping well these last few days and the stress was causing his joints to ache.

G wanted to leave.

*********

A little more than five years of living on The Surface and the novelty of monsters was wearing off. But there was still the occasional few who thought differently. Regardless, there was something about the humans in the town at the base of Mount Ebott.

There was a tinge of anxiety in the residents’ faces whenever they passed him.

At first, he assumed (as every Monster does) that it was out of fear because he could use magic and cause issues that authorities weren’t equipped to handle. G even tried jokingly asked the local barista if he should be worried about getting murked in his sleep…to which the response was a nervous sweat and thinly pressed lips.

That encounter was unsettling.

It was just his luck that the job landed him at Mount Ebott rather than the Bahamas. The Bahamas sounded nice.

…Maybe he could convince Classic to send him there next.

The initial call related to his current mission was given by Stretch, which was a surprise since he preferred to leave all the heavy lifting to Classic whenever possible.

Regardless, Stretch informed him that there was an anomaly the machine picked up in a tiny town at the base of Mount Ebott that required his immediate attention.

He tried to convince Stretch to push the task onto someone else but was quickly shut down.

G could only thank his lucky stars that the number of pocket portals transporting in Sanses and Papyruses had been decreasing significantly since the machine was forcefully shut down.

While G never voiced his opinion on being sent back to his universe before, he knew he wasn’t about to any time soon. Given the small handful of hostile-versions who wanted the machine destroyed, G wasn’t about to stupidly mark himself as someone who may not want to return to his universe.

Sure, while he might be the only Monster in his universe already on The Surface, if he knew the secret to getting Monsters out from the Underground, he wouldn’t mind the risk of taking a journey Underground.

The only problem was, no one knew how the barrier was broken.

…

Despite all that, G found some solace in meeting and befriending Classic’s friends on The Surface…

It felt as if a long-forgotten memory resurfaced from within the Sans and Gaster’s leftover souls that now made up his own. As if they were clinging to the small reminders of who they used to be. While G typically didn’t worry about his unusual soul construction – Sans and Gaster’s consciousness was something G was afraid of, even if he would never admit it to himself.

But those emotions, when he met Classic’s Monsters, were…

Interesting…

“Sir.”

A gentle voice interrupted G’s meandering thoughts, stopping him in his tracks as he made his way back to the centre of town from the random residential street, he found he aimlessly wandered into. Given that it was close to lunchtime, it seemed natural to head back to sample the local cuisine.

When he turned around, he was met with the sight of a weathered housewife wringing her hands together nervously as cast cautious glances at the people around her before she continued speaking.

“I’m sorry to interrupting your walk, sir, and this might be quite rude of me to ask,” The woman sputtered, her fear clearly not directed at G in any capacity, “I-I was w-wondering what you’re doing in this little town of ours? We… We don’t get many monsters…you know since we’re so close…to the mountain.”

Curious as to what had the poor woman was so afraid of that she had to muster up the courage to talk to the only Monster in miles, G only offered a warm smile and a curiously raised browbone at the woman.

“Would you like to join me for a cup of coffee?” G asked smoothly. “I was actually about to get some lunch myself, but I wouldn’t mind pleasant company such as yourself.”

The woman knitted her eyebrows together in shock and confusion at G’s confidence and his change of topic. Slowly her nervousness about talking to the Monster washed away; instead, her focus shifted to the strange declaration.

But when she caught sight of another neighbour walking in the opposite direction across the street, the housewife quickly nodded her head to the sudden invitation.

“…Uh, y-you know, uh, yeah! …C-Coffee sounds good.”

G stepped out of the way smoothly to allow his middle-aged date to lead the way to a preferable café before they quietly began walking into the centre of town. The few people who were wandering around the town squares were easily identifiable as tourists – none of which were there to go monster spotting (the city was better for that type of thing) instead of learning a little more history about the mountain and its relationship to monsters.

“Aren’t you hot?” The housewife suddenly asked, her eyes firmly situated on his leather jacket. Given the blistering summer heat, it was understandable human’s concern for others well-being in certain temperatures. 

“Not really - lucky thing about being a magical skeleton,” G winked. Taking out his packet of cigarettes, he flashed the labelling over to his new lady friend, “Do you mind if I smoke?”

“O-Oh, not at all. My husband smokes as well… I-I’ve actually grown quite fond of the smell…”

G flashed a sincere smile, “He’s a lucky man. Not many enjoy the company of a smoker… The name’s G, by the way.”

“Mary. Mary Laker.”

*********

The unlikely pair found their way into a little bakery café and welcomed the sweet air conditioning that washed over them. The place was reasonably busy; which at first worried Mary, but when she quickly scanned the other patrons’ faces and realised, they were all tourists, she breathed a silent sigh of relief.

G didn’t bother commenting on the woman’s anxiety, hypothesising that she was bound to tell him eventually given that she even agreed to his spontaneous date in the first place.

G politely paid for both of their orders and while Mary luckily managed to snag the corner table just as the previous occupant vacated it. The pair waited in silence as the staff quickly wiped it down and giving them their food and drinks.

G was the picture of relaxed yet observant while Mary would watch and wait till the staff were out of sight before she said bothered saying anything.

“It must be quite the weight on your mind, Mrs Laker,” G commented knowingly.

It didn’t take long for G to figure out that there was something wrong with the town. The suspicious looks of apprehension from a country town were normal, but there was something about how everyone whispered to each other about everything that unsettled his bones.

“Yes…it is,” She was far from ignorant of her anxious behaviour. It was one of the few traits she commended herself on, “I noticed you wandering around town for the last couple of days actually…well, I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone in town noticed, honestly.”

“Oh? I didn’t realise I was that handsome.”

He was glad his comment at least earned him a chuckle.

“You’re too charming for an old lady like me,” Mary smiled before it fell to a more neutral frown, “You’re here because of the strange events, aren’t you?”

“Strange events?”

If it was the humans’ strange behaviour, then he was slightly curious, but he still had to locate the anomaly.

Mary quickly took a sip of her coffee as a waitress walked past them before nodding her head.

“…The break-ins?” She offered.

“I will admit I’m here on monster business; but you have piqued my interest, and if you think there’s something I can do to help, then I’d be happy to offer my services.”

“T-That’s…really kind of you, G.” Mary took another sip of her coffee to calm herself down, “Yes…I don’t know how to explain this without sounding crazy, but something is controlling this town, and I honestly don’t know why everyone else is taking it so well!” She almost sobbed.

G quickly shot a glance around the store and scratched at his chin.

“C-Can you please explain from the start?” He pushed cautiously.

He wasn’t good at handling humans crying no matter how much the others thought he was a suave Casanova. 

Realising that the Monster she had imposed herself on was willing to give her story a chance, Mary breathed a shaky sigh of relief. Taking a deep breath, Mary wrapped her hands around her cooling half-full cup of coffee as a physical reminder to stay calm.

“Well, um, it started about a month ago…but it could’ve been longer than that. We, uh…everyone in town only started to realise that the break-ins were happening to every single one of us by that time.”

G tried to think back to when he was asked to scout out the area but came up blank. He had been busy settling in the unnerved Outertale brothers and stopping the turf wars between the Mobtale and Mobfell brothers before law enforcement was called and got everyone in deeper trouble.

Ah!

…He did receive a text from Classic saying something about a new anomaly a month and a half back…

Oops…

Believing it wasn’t urgent, he had ignored it. 

At least that was his excuse anyway.

Then Stretch had called saying the anomaly was still there, which raised a few alarm bells since it meant they weren’t integrating like all the others.

It was unusual for Classic, Red and Stretch to pick up on these phenomena, contact him to investigate and report back immediately. It honestly made G nervous to think about what was in store for him.

Usually, Sanses and Papyruses were quick enough to figure out that monsters had already reached The Surface. The pairs would figure out they're in an alternate universe, and adapt to their new surroundings quickly.

Sooner or later, they would stumble upon their alternate counterparts and make contact, thus adding them to the list of brothers awaiting their turn to return to their own universes.

While some were eager to return to their universe and offered help wherever they could - some saw it as a strange extended vacation from their everyday lives, found new jobs to dabble in or went travelling.

Simultaneously, there were also the occasional few, who preferred to cause trouble just because it was fun, like Mafia brothers.

It was unfortunate that most of their alternate versions had the same amount of knowledge when it came to the sciences; with only slight variations in their field of expertise.

Initially, Classic was hopeful when he met G.

After all, G was a Sans soul, and a Gaster soul fused.

However, when G informed him that he was his own soul with barely any memories of his universe’s Sans and Gaster, Classic could only sigh sadly that he reached another dead end.

Unfortunately, G had no scientific background or much knowledge to offer since he was technically the youngest soul out of all the versions. 

G did appreciate that Classic didn’t push him further or ask him to explain his already complicated existence, and instead asked him if the team could count on him as management.

...

“You mentioned ‘break-ins.’” G commented, returning his attention to Mary.

“…Yes. That’s how it started.” Mary shifted her gaze, “People around the neighbourhood began noticing someone _or something_ stealing food from our fridges.

"At first, it was only a little – you could easily chalk it up to another family member or roommate.

"But then it got bolder…larger and larger amounts started going missing. And for a little town like this, miles from anyone, sometimes we forget to lock our windows or doors. Out of concern for our safety and possessions, we started locking everything up.

“Naturally, some people installed cameras to try and catch it in the act. Others went to the police and patrols were set up…”

“But they were never caught - on tape or in person?” G finished the sentence.

Mary nodded solemnly.

G didn’t need to ask whether the break-ins continued given the fact that whatever was bothering the woman was still ongoing.

“Then, we started installing security cameras - Those that could afford it had some set up inside and outside their homes, but they were all destroyed…”

…

“Whatever it is, it’s clever.”

Mary nodded again.

“Then people started locking up their fridges, or buying a second one and hiding the food somewhere else…

"It didn’t like that…”

G frowned but didn’t say anything.

Clearly, whatever it was, it was dangerous.

“The locks and fridge doors were often ripped off their hinges as a warning. Not everyone has the savings to keep shelling out for a new fridge or cameras, so they started doing what it wanted.

"The more people that participated in this weird ritual meant the amount of food needed from each person lessened.”

“So, word got around fast after that?”

“Pretty much,” Mary shrugged, “Then one day, one of the retired neighbours figured they would leave food outside their house instead…and it worked. Nothing else went missing inside the house. So, slowly everyone started doing it. Myself included.”

“And this thing has never wanted anything else?” G asked curiously.

“Yes. Some tried to offer it money or toys, but they were returned…placed somewhere in inside...in plain sight.”

G snorted, “Sounds like a bad horror movie.”

Mary couldn’t help but chuckle as well, “It does, doesn’t it?”

G leant back further against his chair in contemplation.

“It’s understandable why you’re unsettled. Nobody likes their home intruded upon – a threat to your possessions, privacy and general safety.” G offered.

“Yeah…it explains why so many of us were on board with the idea to feed it outside. And since it yielded results what more harm could it do, am I right?” Mary bit down sarcastically.

That caught G’s attention.

“Something went wrong?”

A strained smile made its way to Mary’s face as her eyes stared at the ground.

It wasn’t melancholy, but it wasn’t joy either.

G couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“The Mayor… The Mayor is the type of man who likes to stroke his own ego, and the rest of us couldn’t be bothered to take up a leadership role, so we let him do what he wants - likes living by his own rules, sorta guy.”

“Let me guess,” G smirked, “New little ritual the town ’as adopted didn’t float his boat?”

This time the smile was genuine.

“Yes... But the Mayor’s wife and their daughter are lovely people.

"They set up community events for everyone to participate in, et cetera. So, naturally, they were the ones who put out the offerings for their house.

"But the Mayor had enough and told them to stop... Word got around pretty quick that if he caught an offering outside of his home again, he would throw it in the trash personally."   
  
Mary paused for a moment, deep in the thought as the day of the event played back in her mind as if it happened yesterday. 

“The next day, the living room was in pieces...but only his belongings were supposedly damaged.”

“Nothing happened to the wife or daughter’s stuff?”

Mary nodded again; the terror of the situation weighed heavily on her shoulders.

“As you can see…it’s really unnerving knowing that something is spying on you all the time and that if you don’t do what it wants, then it could easily destroy not only your property but possibly k-kill you and yours in your sleep if it really wanted too.”

Tears filled her eyes again as the thought of what could happen to her, her husband or her children if _that thing_ ever found out she talked to someone who could hopefully get rid of it. 

G let his skull fall firmly against the back of the chair as he stared holes into the ceiling of the café.

That explained that feeling he was being watched.

…

He needed a cigarette.

…

His alternate versions typically wouldn’t go to this much trouble over food.

Sanses were pretty good at unnerving people to the point of getting the answers they wanted, and Papyruses were familiar with various levels of psychological manipulation…whether it was effective depended on their universe.

After all, there were a few hard and fast rules the lot of them picked up on when it came to just about every Sans and Papyrus they encountered:

A short skeleton is named Sans.

A tall skeleton is named Papyrus.

A Sans loves his brother Papyrus no matter what.

A Papyrus loves his brother Sans no matter what.

A Sans-personality loves puns and pranks.

A Papyrus-personality prefers witty jokes over lazy puns.

A Sans-personality knows about the Resets.

And a Papyrus-personality loves to cook, and their food is… indescribable.

But none of the universes that G had encountered so far, even the more violent ones, ever indicated a propensity towards abusive tactics and psychological warfare. Murder yes, but nothing as sinister and drawn out like this.

G suddenly wished he had pressed his Frisk for more information on all the versions they dreamed about back in the Shift. Their dreams and nightmares were often of alternate universes or timelines; it would have been helpful now, knowing that little bit of extra information so he would know what he would be up against. 

“Penny for your thoughts?” Mary asked, staring at the zoned-out skeleton.

G chuckled as he sat back up with a cheeky wink, “For you, darling – free.”

The woman shook her head in exasperation.

How many years had it been since she was last flirted with? And at her age while married as well. All it did was make her laugh a bit. The skeleton certainly had a charm to him. He knew how to make people relax in his presence.

“Actually,” G continued, “This might be related to the monster business I told you about earlier. If you don’t mind offering your assistance with a hypothesis I have, I may be able to get to the bottom of your little intruder.”

The woman could only gap in shock before quickly contemplating the offer seriously. There was a lot at stake: her house could get destroyed, she lived with her husband, and they were lucky enough to retire early, but their savings weren’t lucrative enough to replace everything if something were to happen.

“If you are worried about damages, I have the funds to replace anything amiss.”

“…And my husband’s safety?”

“Not worried about yourself?” G smiled knowingly, “That’s very brave of you, but there’s nothing to worry about in that regard.”

Mary watched as G waved his hand a bone creature’s head the size of her palm appeared next to the skeleton’s skull. Bright yellow eye-lights locked onto her, sending a shiver up her spine. Something told her the creature was dangerous despite its small size.

“This little guy’s name is Blaster. He’ll be your silent guard dog during the night, while I patrol the town for our little thief.”

“…Are you sure? Even the last couple of patrols weren’t able to catch it.”

“Positive. I can summon a large number of these little guys to watch every pie on the windowsill if I need to.”

Mary laughed again, “Al-Alright. Only a young man like yourself could have such confidence, but I’m willing to bet on it.”

With a satisfied smirk, the two shook hands, and the small Gaster Blaster floated over to the woman, and happily hide inside her purse.

*********

That blissful evening G breathed in the sweet summer air as he stared up at the curtain of stars as he sat atop the tallest building he could find. The chirp of crickets was a welcoming sound and dim rhythm of cicadas buzzed against his skull peacefully. The town only had a handful of streetlights which luckily didn’t take away from the sky too much.

If it weren’t for the mountain behind him, G maybe he could’ve seen himself taking a vacation here. He had been working pretty 'hard' lately. 

He chuckled under his breath. 

While the others may have thought running around babysitting a whole bunch of skeletons would be a hassle, G found being the most informed and authoritative figure helped a lot with managing all of them. It didn't matter if he talked to a Sans or Papyrus; they always turned to those with the most knowledge to guide them. 

Actually, most of the time, if there wasn't a physical issue present, most of the problems could be sorted via phonecall.

Heh, now that he thought about it since it was on an integration mission, he hadn't received a single call. 

There was some peace in that. 

Still...he had to focus.

G felt magic pulsed as he concentrated on the plethora of Gaster Blasters weaving all over throughout the town. He could see the whole range of different foods: a plate of leftovers, a slice of cake, a bunch of grapes, a plastic-wrapped roast with stir-fried vegetables.

He typically didn’t like dividing his attention to see through multiple Gaster Blasters since it left his physical body somewhat vulnerable; however, given the seriousness of the situation, he needed to make contact with the new arrivals as soon as possible.

After leaving the café earlier that day, G attempted to gather more information surrounding the offerings and the creature threatening the town. But, as it turned out, not many people were willing to share what they knew - either because he was a monster or because they could be potentially become a target themselves.

He needed information, and it was getting frustrating that he couldn’t find any-

“Lovely night, isn’t it~?”

If G had skin, he was sure he would have shed it the second he heard that sweet, icy voice whispering into the right of his skull.

The sharp tip of a knife was pressed firmly against his ribs, directly over where his soul was located. A swift slice from the first cut had already undone some treads of his grey turtleneck sweater.

“How did you escape the Underground, monster?” The feminine voice hissed.

G raised his hands slowly in surrender, and despite every instinct telling him to fight against the threat to his life, G could only find himself cancelling his Gaster Blasters to maintain his focus. After they were gone, the rest of his senses began to return to him.

He could feel a soft pressure on his right shoulder. And if it weren’t for his current situation, he momentarily wondered whether he would’ve even noticed the woman. 

But that was fine; he met enough hostiles to know what to do in the current situation.

The introduction speech was fresh on his tongue.

As sweat slowly dripped down the back of his skull, G stopped for a second, wondering whether giving the normal ‘alternate-universe-introduction’ to a hostile was going to be enough to save his soul from this situation.

“He-heh, easy there, Miss? You’re in an alternate universe where monsters have been living on The Surface for five years now. You were brought here by a machine made by this universe’s Gaster. My name is G, and – like you – there are others in the same situation. I’ve come to help.”

The knife didn’t move, which only unnerved G more. He was the Monster with the answers; it only made logical sense that dusting the easiest and fastest route to a solution would be more trouble than it was worth…

Right?

Unfortunately, G’s thoughts were interrupted by a soft cackling. The bounce of the knife further tensed his bone as he tried to breathe in, shrinking his ribs away from the blade.

“‘Brought here’? A jester, I see… Hmm, well then, let’s get back to business - don’t think I haven’t seen you slinking around my town, Jester.” A hot breath almost left a thin and uncomfortable layer of moister against the side of G’s skull, “What do you want?!”

“Just to talk. Get to know you…and any company you brought with you,” G felt the knife press firmer against him. He was right to guess that there was more than just this Monster, “Are you familiar with a…Sans and Papyrus?”

…

“…What about them?”

G’s brows furrowed. Them? The Monster holding him hostage wasn’t a Sans or a Papyrus?

“Many alternate versions of them were brought here by accident; we’ve been working together to set everyone up as comfortably as possible for the time being.”

The howling tinkle of a laugh rung through the air.

G had trouble describing it – it wasn’t sadistic or maniacal, although he would be foolish to say there weren’t hints of it. But it was as if he had told the funniest joke she had ever heard; the noise was almost sickeningly sweet.

Something in his soul felt like it was dusting just from hearing it.

There was something wrong with this Monster. 

It felt as if he was trapped beneath the overwhelming presence of a playful predator.

“Oh! Oh! Let me guess how we got here!

“This universe’s Sans or Pap- Oh? …Not Papyrus? Well then,” There had to be a smile of her mouth, “This universe’s Sans didn’t like the possibility of another reset happening after finally making it to The Surface! - I’ve heard many things about those resets. Very Sans of him, isn’t it~? So, caught up in holding onto that thin shred of hope that’s right in front of him, he neglects to account for the potential consequences.

“And since dear ol’ Gaster’s machine is the only functional piece of tech besides the CORE, he fixed it up - not realising that its initial purpose was to transport monsters outside of the barrier. Now he’s gotten his wish! Hahaha! Now, there are too many unstable anomalies to reset without tearing the multiverse apart! What do you say, Jester?! Am I accurate?! Do I win a prize~?”

G’s eye-lights shrunk to a pinprick.

Never before had a Sans or Papyrus so accurately guessed how they wound up on The Surface – many assuming something had gone wrong while they were tinkering with the machine, the CORE, or simply believed the human’s ability glitched during a reset.

None of the Sans-personalities were willing to acknowledge their obsessive behaviour and selfishness that potentially created a rip in space-time, so they were happy to accept whatever bullshit reason G fed them when they arrived.

Though they weren’t about to receive many answers on the machine’s progress, at least until they offered their thoughts and opinions on returning to their universe.

The team didn’t need some of the pricklier versions of them coming in and sabotaging their hard work.

Unfortunately, the usual introduction wasn’t going to work on this female Monster! Her level of deduction from just a few scraps of information he offered had already put, not only him but the whole team, on uneven negotiating grounds.

“Ohoho!”

G’s tried to keep his expressions as clinically detached as possible, but it only further confirmed whatever observation the woman made of him. 

“Sans loves getting up in everyone’s business, doesn’t he? The Surface has too many people to keep track of compared to the Underground, so the poor dear was forced to confront the fact that he can’t control fate anymore. Leaves him a bit of an empty shell – such a shame, not having a purpose.

“But Sans always was a smart cookie, isn’t he? So fixing all this mess should be a cinch – and if these alternate universes are coming with their brothers… Well~ they will adapt without any issues. It’s just the simple matter of sitting around and waiting! Play a few games, explore The Surface! Have a holiday, even! So, that begs the question…”

Her previously jovial tone immediately turned dangerously cold.

“‘Why have you came seeking us out?’ But you don’t need to answer that question, Jester, because I already know the answer! It’s easy when you think about it – You want something from us, don’t you?!”

G’s spine felt as if it was going to snap in two under the slightest pressure. He had never felt so scared in his life. The bloodlust laced in her voice was the furthest thing from a bluff. Something told him if one of the others were to Judge her soul it LVs would be astronomically high.

It was safer to stay silent than answer her question.

This woman knew Sans and Papyrus well.

Scarily well.

It was uncanny.

“He always was too smart for his own good~” The woman mused, “Runs himself in circles… that would mean any version of him would assumably study the same thing, or up to the same level of doctorates. No new ideas to offer himself, no matter which universe he’s from.

“Ah! Hahaha! Sans can’t figure out how to fix the machine… _can he_?”

It was as if every alternate version of Sans had been psychologically dissected right before G’s sockets.

“H-How?”

G didn’t like the position he was in.

At all.

He was meant to be the one with all the answers.

He was the one the alternate versions relied on to help navigate The Surface.

He was the one who reined in all the versions and stopped them from destroying the peace.

He couldn’t believe his arrogance landed him here; back against an enemy that could read the situation so quickly and effectively. The dread that one wrong answer could result in his dust getting lost in the wind wasn’t lost on him.

She was an enemy who knew about the machine.

And if she didn’t want to return home…

She would destroy it without a second thought.

…

That is if she found out where it was.

…

“How about a little deal, Jester?”

G waited, but when the female Monster didn’t continue without confirming he was paying attention. G lightly cleared his throat; a ting of yellow magic found its way to his cheekbones. He was lost in his thoughts again, even though the situation was so dire.

“What… What kind of…deal?”

“Simple! You set my boys and me up with a place to stay with plenty of food, and we’ll leave this pretty little town alone.”

“And why would I-”

“It’s your job, Jester~ Honestly! You said as such just a few minutes ago,” A sigh tickled G’s cheekbone, “While it’s been fun terrorising this town and training them like dogs. We’re getting sick of living out in woods. Naturally, have a little chat with your team first, then come and find me…Oh, and nice try baiting me with Mrs Mary Laker, by the way. Sweet lady – makes the best cookies. Don’t worry; nothing will happen to her while you’re gone. Promise.”

Then G felt the knife fall into his lap.

G attempted to twist around as fast as he could to see who or what exactly had grabbed him, but the full force of a punch hit him square in his right shoulder, sending him tumbling forward into the roof tiles.

By the time he got up, his magic flaring and scouring the area for a soul to latch onto, G quickly found himself alone again.

Alone in a tiny country town at the base of the accursed Mount Ebott in the darkness of night where no one would arrive in time to collect his dust if things had turned out worse.

Without another thought, G shortcut back to the main house.

He needed to talk to Classic and the rest of the gang.

…

They may have found their missing link.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for taking the time for reading my fic. It really means a lot to me.


	2. Insight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You reflect on the events leading up to your meeting with other alternate-selves.

The sweetness of the grape exploded in your mouth as the juice dribbled down your chin. Your chest puffed out in pride over your latest haul from the town at the bottom of Mount Ebott. The cicadas screaming echoed around you as you chewed along to their rhythm, while the trickling sound of water from the nearby river calmed your nerves.

It was the sound of life.

And it was beautiful.

Despite living in the forests surrounding the accursed mountain for a little more than a month, the life you, Sans and Papyrus established for yourselves, while less than desirable, was better than the endless scavenging, hoarding, fighting and starving Underground that you all escaped from.

‘Reminiscing’ on the past, however, wasn’t your forte – too many bad memories. Even though you and the only people you cared about survived and escaped that hellhole, not thinking about it was the better alternative than plaguing yourself with ‘what ifs’, second-guessing your actions and justifying yourself in and painfully endless loop of despair.

Yeah, no, it was better not to think about it. 

In your world, the only things you could rely on was the present and the future.

Although, you were sure if you were to ask the boys, they would only agree with you on the former. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the means to think further than their next meal, so they left the heavy-duty planning to you since your tiny body hardly made a dent in their overall resources.

You suppose that did reinforce your role amongst the three of you.

…The future, huh?

The possibilities drifted into your mind as you continued to devour the grape as your new mindlessly blissful endeavour.

The possibilities the future hold…

If you were to try and describe how those possibilities felt in your mind, you would say their closest likeness was to the void: unassuming, endless, and more importantly, unpredictable.

You hated it.

For so long your future, hell, Sans and Papyrus’ future, centred on you learning complex mathematics, countless branches of different sciences and engineering, which you did! – not easily; mind you. Those countless late nights, repeatedly revising formulas and theories, the equipment tests, and the damages you caused dragged on for ten years.

Breaking a whole in space-time, and magic only ever sounded easy on paper.

But you never allowed yourself to give up hope.

Otherwise…what good were you?

What reason did you have to continue?

You barely knew anything about yourself, and the only people you ever managed to get close to was Sans, Papyrus and Toriel. Unfortunately, you lost contact with Toriel after Sans felt compelled to tell her the humans she sent their way never made it out.

You remembered that day very clearly…

Regardless, and in the very least, you were living for someone, and that was your boys. And if it meant you became an encyclopaedic fountain of knowledge and experimentations just to get your miserable dust piles beyond the barrier, then you were going to do it.

…

And you did.

…

You were out – just like that.

But now…what was there?

For the last ten years, you studied, you worked so you could arrive on The Surface, anything else was just a bump in the road because you knew what your future was and you were going to claim it with both hands.

Now, that future was full of endless possibilities.

And you hated it.

You wanted structure again.

You wanted to know what your purpose was again.

The fact that you could (potentially) do whatever you wanted didn’t sit right with you. 

The fact that Sans and Papyrus could do whatever they wanted… Might not need you anymore now that you fulfilled your goal terrified you.

When the three of you tried to find some food or civilisation, you remembered something about humans.

A little nugget of information that you didn’t want to use so selfishly, but you justified to yourself that it was for the boys’ safety.

It was such a _shame_ that there were so many humans around to hindered your movements. The dangers of government agents, racists and weapons that you couldn’t defend yourself with magic.

So, it was easy to convince your boys to stay hidden while you scoped the place out.

And given your long history together and the fact that you brought back fresh edible food, they trusted your judgement without question.

…

Maybe that was part of the reason you decided to invade and terrorised those unsuspecting humans in the town at the base of the mountain…you know, besides simply stealing food.

But those arrangements were working just fine for the three of you – after all, who knew how humans would react to the sudden existence of Monsters; especially ones as viscerally disturbing as your boys.

There was no getting around the fact that Sans and Papyrus were hard to look at.

The traumatic head wound, missing right eye, and scars covering every inch of Sans’ brittle bone were almost seemed painless compared to Papyrus.

Naturally, Sans’ injuries were bizarre. The story related to how he attained a complete mystery to anyone who wasn’t directly involved with the incident that caused them, left him with a cartoonish appearance.

Anyone who talked to him would always not his ‘liveliness’ and quickly assume he was somewhat okay, and avoid the entire conversation out of fear of the skeleton lashing out.

Papyrus, however, was a completely different case.

Anyone who knew the tall skeleton before the famine knew him as a hopeful and energetic character with the most beautifully optimistic perspective. You had seen that yourself a long, long time ago. While hints of that beauty hadn’t changed per se, the damage resulting from eating human meat…and other less recommended materials, disturbed more than just his psyche.

His soul was damaged…

And you and Sans were going to spend the rest of your lives making it up to him.

…

But at least he survived.

Even if it meant it went against everything, he believed in.

…

He was a lot quieter now.

…

It hurt your soul a lot, seeing the stark difference after all those years of trauma.

Sans learned and was placated with Papyrus’ change, especially if it meant he was alive. Then again, this was only _after_ he received his injury.

Sometimes you wondered whether Sans missed the old Papyrus.

*********

Regardless, the reason you were so adamant that everyone lived in the forest was that Monsters didn’t exist on the Surface.

Thus, there was a massive potential danger to your boys.

Then!

Just as you were performing your daily rounds, you see some random skeleton strolling around the town (that you inhabited for the better part of a month!) as if he owned the place! As if Monsters on the Surface was the most natural thing!

So…you watched him.

He was entirely comfortable aimlessly wandering around, talking to random residents, inviting them on dates and poking his nose in everyone’s business.

But you at least knew, that he knew, that you were watching.

You had seen him attempt to avoid your gaze – even going so far as to wander into the men’s bathroom.

The hilarity of the situation left you immobilised with laughter that you forgot to follow him in.

But that just worked more in your favour, since you could tell by his movements that whenever he wanted privacy, he would go into a bathroom. It also meant; he knew on some level that whatever was watching him had some type of social awareness.

It was at that moment; you wondered if your boys would’ve been accepted with somewhat open arms if you had taken that bold first step into the open.

No! You weren’t going to think of ‘what ifs’!

You could only think about the ‘now’ and the future!

The only reason you hadn’t left your hiding place on the accursed Mount Ebott was because of the humans.

But if Monsters were already on the Surface and well-integrated then…

Of course, humans wouldn’t respond overtly negatively to one’s sudden appearance!

It made so much sense now.

You made a note to yourself that in any future research you had you would explore rather than that single town…even if it meant you would have to leave your boys behind.

Even more so, if it meant your boys were safe.

However, the notion of Monsters being well-integrated didn’t sit right with you the longer you thought about it.

  1. You had fixed Gaster’s machine to send you to the Surface.
  2. Monsters were still trapped Underground before you left and there weren’t any human souls available to finish breaking the barrier.
  3. There were no other Monster races besides the ones you lived with for ten years.



And finally – 4. You knew how badly Sans and Papyrus wanted to get away from Mount Ebott.

And now that you thought about it, it wouldn’t surprise you if any other Monsters that made it onto the Surface were to move as far away as possible as well.

There were other Monsters, exactly like yours.

An alternate universe or timeline perhaps.

You weren’t sure.

Although, you were more leaning towards alternate universe given that you had never seen your new arrival amongst yours in the Underground. But who knows, maybe your version dusted before you got to get a good look at him.

*********

So, you stalked this mystery skeleton for the next couple of days and eavesdropped on the residents’ conversations. News circled quickly, and housewives loved to talk. It was still unbelievably easy hunting for what you wanted when eyes weren’t constantly looking for threats.

You were quick to find out that the skeleton had been asking if they had seen any new Monsters in the area.

Their responses were all negative.

Good.

Your boys knew better than to disregard your information on humans.

It saved their lives more than once.

It wasn’t until Mrs Mary Laker decided to step up and make contact with the skeleton that you realised that she was going to spill the beans on your whole operation.

How unfortunate…

After all, you made it _so_ easy for them to completely disregard your existence by placing a little bit of food on their porch.

It took you a long time to condition them.

Though they were easier than...never mind.

You had more important things to worry about.

…

Although it was annoying that dear old Mary to step forward, you weren’t going to hurt her for doing so, because you weren’t going to lose in whatever outcome she was hoping to gain from it. Because two things were going to happen: the skeleton was either going to try and help the town or bugger off.

If option A won out, you would gather a little extra information before getting the hell out of dodge and rebuilding your lives (possibly amongst civilisation). The boys still got food, maybe some shelter, a job, income, et cetera, et cetera.

And if option B won out, well~ what harm would it do to introduce yourselves to your new neighbours~

But there was one question you wanted answering more than anything else – “Where did these Monsters come from?”

So, that night you decided to make contact.

You had only seen Sans’ Gaster Blasters once, and it was far from a fun experience, so you avoided the summoned security creatures as best you could. It seemed they were looking for a magical signature rather than a human soul.

That was a win in your book.

Holding him at knifepoint with the weapon you stole a few weeks back, turned out to be one of your better ideas, along with feigning ignorance of the entire situation.

Many holes in your theories were immediately filled in. That slimy, disgusting and uncertain void of a future filled with endless and harrowing possibilities immediately narrowed down to a few digestible outcomes.

You felt yourself stabilising again. 

And a plan formed from within the depth of your mind.

You were going to make things work in your favour. 

Even if it killed you.

*********

Being six inches tall wasn’t all that bad, you mused as you continued to eat as much grape as your body could stomach.

It certainly made surviving a hell of a lot easier.

It was definitely part of the reason why Sans was willing to keep you around during the worst of times. The other was that you were somehow about to keep your mentality in a stabler condition than those around you; although, with the amount of death you surrounded yourself with, you wouldn’t be surprised if you had a few screws loose.

You shuddered at the thought of a therapist or psychiatrist getting their hands on you.

Hippocratic Oath or not. 

Regardless, you were happy and content with your stupidly oversized grape and watching your boys eat the latest bounty from town.

These were your small pleasantries.

Minor victories.

You, Sans and Papyrus were better because of them.

At least, you and Papyrus were always on the lookout for them.

Sans was more content with listening to whatever you found to be considered good news rather than look for it himself.

While you were lost in thought though, you caught the sound of a soft laugh as you took another bite of your grape. You could only guess you looked like a chipmunk.

The chuckle died down when you glanced over to Papyrus. His crooked smile beaming down at you as you sat comfortably in the dirt surrounded by wild grass.

“Little Lady, You Cannot Expect Sans And I To Follow Your Instruction When You Set Such A Poor Example Of ‘Pacing Yourself When You Eat’.” Papyrus light-heartedly scolded.

The sight of you sat comfortable on the ground; grape held up by both hands only made his painful and cracked grin split even wider. He watched as you had enough of the fruit and tossed the remaining half straight at Sans, who didn’t hesitate to snatch it directly out the air with his mouth without a second thought.

“I eat just fine, Papy,” You grinned innocently as you made your way over a salad sandwich, “Besides, the reason I need you two to pace yourselves is so that your magic reserves are built back up properly. Eating too quickly after starving for so long isn’t good for your bodies or your souls for that matter.”

Papyrus’ only reply was a gentle yet melancholic smile, but Sans tensed immediately in your peripheral vision at your words. 

“… don’t need it,” Sans snapped sharply as he shovelled and swallowed the plate of leftovers straight into his mouth.

“Sans, chew!” You warned before heaving a sigh, “…I know you guys have adapted to surviving with the bare minimum amount of magic without Falling Down, but it’s still not a pleasant thought knowing that it could still happen.”

The horrid sight of Monsters Falling Down in the streets and the wailing coming from distressed family members was a constant reminder just how much you relied on Sans and Papyrus. And besides the exiled Queen, you didn’t have anyone else you could depend on. Every other Monster wouldn’t hesitate to rip you apart because of what the previous human before you did.

Empress Undyne’s declaration didn’t exactly pussy-foot around the issue.

You were incredibly fortunate to have met such considerate Monsters like Sans, Papyrus and Toriel.

They were everything to you.

And if that meant making sure your boys were able to defend themselves with magic, then you were going to make sure they didn’t make themselves sick by eating everything in sight.

Humans were scary, you the thought of how they would react to Monsters as unnerving as your boys.

You loved them like nothing else, but there was no denying their appearance.

The last thing you wanted was to have some disgusting meat sack pulling a gun them. Hell, if you ever saw another human dare point a weapon at them, you wouldn’t hesitate to gut them yourself.

…

It was such a shame murder was illegal on the Surface.

…

But now that you knew Monsters were on the Surface and freely roaming around, you were even more concerned about your boys’ ability to adapt to the changes. They looked like they were going to dust at any minute.

They didn’t need to have Monster poking around asking unnecessary questions. 

That was why you felt compelled to check how your boys were handling the news about possibly getting their magic back. Papyrus appeared contemplative – as far as you knew, besides training with Empress Undyne, the only other time he had to fight someone seriously was the previous human.

So, you were reasonably sure he was okay with having his magic return either way.

As for Sans…you kept your face as neutral as possible when you met San’s furious, bleeding red eye-light glaring down at you, as his fingers dug away at his empty socket.

His loss of magic wasn’t a result of starvation. You both knew that. And the reminders of that memory weren’t appreciated.

“Sans. You’re scratching again.”

“…sorry, boss.”

You sighed out of resignation and guilt.

“We’re on the Surface now, Anny. You don’t have to call me ‘boss’ anymore.”

“…”

Sans knew you only ever called him by that ridiculous nickname when you were feeling playful or wanted him to relax – and it frustrated him how effective it was at doing exactly that.

“Knowing that you guys can defend yourself with magic would give me more peace of mind than you’d probably imagine.” You finally admitted.

Sans felt his shoulders slump but kept a close socket on you as you stood up, patting down your backside for any dirt that might’ve stuck to your oversized, makeshift dress before climbing your way onto his lap. Then, out of habit than anything else, his fingers found their way into your hair and began scratching lightly at your scalp.

You always did say it was better to play with something soft to ground yourself.

“Little Lady,” Papyrus interrupted after he knew you and his brother were comfortable again, “You Mentioned That Something Happened Last Night…When You Went To Collect The Offerings.”

Preening into Sans’ fingers, you turned your attention back to the lankier skeleton.

There was a moment of silence as you gathered your thoughts, thinking carefully about how best to break the news about the universe they landed in.

While complicated, you decided it was best to do damage-control before anything else could change the boys’ perception of things. You didn’t exactly have much time to waste after all. It was only a matter of time before Jester, and whatever team of Sanses and Papyruses arrived, with a plan on how to deal with you.

Especially after you threatened them by implying you would destroy the machine if you were to find it.

“Well, the short version is that we didn’t land on our Surface, rather in another universe or timeline’s version. And what’s more frustrating about the matter is that Monsters have broken the barrier and live peacefully amongst humans.”

The fingers in your hair stopped moving.

“…you missed?” Sans asked.

Of course, that’s what Sans would focus on!

“I hit my mark,” You huffed, “My current hypothesis on _why_ we’re here in the first place is that this universe is unstable with a countless number of anomalies; and, as a result, it drew us into its orbit while on transit.”

“What Type of Anomalies?” Papyrus asked.

While Papyrus didn’t fine the complicated language, engineering or mathematics as compelling as his brother, or paid it as much attention as you did while studying it. He did feel curious from time to time and found himself asking questions.

He found that you were an excellent teacher, while his brother had more or less given him the answer without further explanation as he expected from that lazybones.

Papyrus particularly enjoyed listening to you draw up plans and ideas on potential machines and theories to help him and Sans. If there were enough resources, you begrudgingly allowed Snowdin’s Monsters to benefit from your hard work as well. 

Papyrus always did find it a shame that your devotion to protecting others didn’t extend further than your immediate circle.

But he supposed given the circumstance – if it came down to providing food for him or some random Monster, Papyrus knew you wouldn’t hesitate to dust the competition for him and his brother’s sake.

“Well, from what I found out – as expected of Sansy-boy here,” Jerking your thumb at the Monster behind you, “It turns out the Sans of this universe - once he made it top-side attempted to stop the resets by messing around with Ga-, uh, the previous Royal Scientist’s machine.”

“…idiot.”

“That’s what I said~” You chimed as you pressed your head against Sans’ hoodie, “Anyway, those anomalies I mentioned, turns out to be minor wormholes. They’ve been opening up at random and spitting out multiple versions of Sanses and Papyruses.

“Now it’s only a matter of time before the main team of idiots figures out what they’re going to do with us.”

“… you’re being vague…on purpose…again” Sans grumbled.

“Brother,” Papyrus frowned, scolding Sans lightly. 

You didn’t like keeping your plans a secret from your boys.

Even though they knew you weren’t doing it out of malice; overseeing everything related to your long-term survival was mental labour that weighed on you heavily, and you didn’t need their added opinions to complicate matters.

You had tried it once.

Now, you tricked, twisted and manipulated everyone you knew – even Sans and Papyrus – but if it meant the three of you lived to see another day…well…then they needed to play their part.

The brothers knew better than to press you too hard for information.

“I have it under control. The only thing you need to know is that this team thinks we came out of one of the wormholes they created. They don’t need to know ours was successful…” You paused for a moment contemplating your words carefully, “…unless you want to get sent back.”

Sans hissed and flinched violently.

Papyrus quickly yanked Sans’ hand out from your hair in case he crushed your skull in between his fingers. Sans used his free hand to snatch up his trusty axe, ready to lash out.

You knew he was going to rip you apart and cut off all the knowledge about the machine before it could potentially send them back. 

You leapt out from Sans’s lap and straight up onto Papyrus’ outstretched arm. Digging your heels into the rough black sleeves, you sprinted up until you finally found safety snuggled into the taller Monster’s ratty red cape turned scarf.

Papyrus then released his brother’s arm and quickly stood up, so both of you were out of Sans’ reach. 

“…you’re never sending us back, you bitch! paps, give her here!”

Papyrus only offered a small, shy smile before shaking his head slightly but didn’t say anything.

“Never said I was, Sans,” You replied, keeping your tone level, “but the others might. So, trust me when I say that I have our affairs in order.”

Sans glared up at you. His flaming red eye-light boring into your soul, trying to dig out your thoughts, your emotions, your sins.

He tried to find anything to twist you around his finger like you have been doing to him and Papyrus for years.

You knew Sans hated not knowing what was going on around him, especially after the resets and the gaping hole in his skull. Sans hated the holes in his memories and all the potential information that could further their survival.

But you watched him slam his axe into the base of a nearby tree in frustration. His back turned to you as his shoulders slumped.

A sigh escaped through his teeth.

“…tsk…you know i trust ya, bite-size.”

Papyrus tried offering you a gentle smile, but it was interrupted by your petting on the side of his skull. You didn’t need either of them to say anything else to know they still trusted you completely, despite the drastic change to their circumstances.

“Thanks, Anny, you know I appreciate it.” You smile warmly.

*********

Three days passed before you caught sight of Jester again – this time accompanied by two Sanses and two Papyruses on the outskirts of the forest: one cleaner, blue-hoddie healthier version of your Sans, one red turtleneck and black, fur-hoodie Sans, an orange-hoddie Papyrus and a cleaner version of your Papy.

Although you couldn’t hear exactly what was being said from your spot high in the trees overlooking the town, there was still a lot to gain from observing their behaviour.

For one, Jester surprised you a little with how uninterested he was in the conversation at hand, instead electing to text on his phone at a million miles a minute. You wondered to what extent he actually cared about doing his job as a guide and mediator for each new sets of AU-brothers.

But that thought was just a momentary curiosity because your attention was instead drawn back to the remaining skeletons that arrived to ‘negotiate’ the deal.

The first thing you noticed was how cleanly dressed, and chatty their Papy was, as if he was off to some type of business meeting with important people, although not without the typical-Papyrus flare. A pair of oversized and colourful sunglasses rested awkwardly on the top of his skull and tied around his neck was a familiar red scarf that clashed loudly with his suit.

The next thing you notice about him is how talkative he is. While you couldn’t hear what he was saying, the frequency seemed to reverberate through the air. Their Papy appeared excited by the possibility of meeting you and your boys – and the only reason you knew he was talking about that was by the gnawing dread evident in the blue-hoodie Sans and the orange-hoodie Papyrus. Comparatively, the more dangerous red turtleneck Sans appeared to be egging on their Papy.

Blue-hoodie soon joined the conversation, saying something with an awkward grin and a wink that their Papy complained despite the smile growing on his face.

A pun.

And going by the shaking shoulders of laughter from red turtleneck and orange-hoodie, a few theories popped up regarding the universe-origins of the remaining Sanses and orange-hoodie Papyrus.

However, it required a bit more observations and ‘testing’.

Unfortunately, the longer you watched the group, you noticed the relationship between blue-hoodie and their Papy was incredibly similar to your boys (which you guessed made them a pair).

But the excellent relationship between blue-hoodie and their Papy only made the tension between them and the remaining skeletons all the more apparent. 

While you couldn’t guess the heated discussion’s details, it was easy enough to suppose that they were arguing about the best approach to take care of you; especially, since you pulled a knife on one of them. But seeing them disagree, made you smile at the fact that their teamwork was far worse than you initially expected.

How fortunate. 

As they slowly made their way towards the forest, their shoulders still tense from the argument that broke out just moments ago, you stayed where you were and simply waited.

You followed next to them as the small group made their way into the forest – their eye-lights darting everywhere for any sign of danger.

It seemed these Monsters also neglected to account for the range of their field of vision. You didn’t know where you learned the psychological trick where humans failed to account for things outside of their immediate eye level before you fell into the Underground.

The number of humans you managed to capture because of that little trick never failed to make you snicker.

The fact that these skeletons weren’t looking higher than their skulls was their rookie mistake.

Unfortunately, the noise that escaped your mouth immediately sent multiple eye-lights your way.

You quickly pressed yourself against the tree, gritting your teeth.

Shit!

You couldn’t believe it.

You forgot one crucial detail…

These Monsters weren’t like your Monsters.

They still had their magic.

They could attack you from afar.

You never trained with Sans or Papyrus on how to defend yourself against magical attacks.

“FRIEND! WE HAVE COME AS PROMISED TO PROVIDE YOU WITH A PLACE TO STAY! MY NAME IS C-CREAM!” The younger Papy called out. “W-WE JUST WANT TO SPEAK WITH YOU!”

You didn’t understand where this younger-Papy’s nervousness was coming from. If he was anything like your Papy when you first met him, then he was amiable, always looking for the good in the world no matter how dangerous his opponent was, and unbelievably loud.

This was bad.

It was hard enough saying ‘no’ to your Papy, but they just had to bring a past reminder here too.

You felt your sins crawling up your back.

You had to get back to Anny and Papy, now!

Without a moment’s hesitation, you crouched down against the tree branch you were on, angling your footing against the thickest part before propelling yourself off at high speeds.

The startled gasps and flares of magic were all you needed to know that they spotted your escape, and while you were too fast for them to grab you with their blue attack, you could only guess at how much they saw of your soul as you vanished amongst the trees.

However, that wasn’t your main concern right at the moment.

You were more worried about your boys.

Sans was not going to like seeing this Cream-Papyrus.

Cream-Papyrus already made you feel sick to your stomach, and you could only imagine what it would do to Sans.

Your skins crawled at the potential danger _you_ were going to be in if Sans had another breakdown.

This discussion wasn’t turning out as you hoped, but you had to stick to your plan.

Or someone was going to get seriously hurt…

By who’s hands, you weren’t sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg, thank you, everyone, who gave a kudos and commented! Chapter 1 received so much love, so I hope I can live up to your expectations. 
> 
> I hope to have new chapters for "The Skeletons and the Horror Bitty" and "'Monster Lives' by a Vampire" released on my Fridays, so here's hoping I can keep a schedule hehehe.


	3. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group of skeletons finally meet your boys

Each creak and crack of the branches coming from beneath your feet was the only directional indicator your pursuers had to guide them through the forest towards your boys.

You tried to empty your mind of anxious and threatening thoughts.

The idea that they would take one look at them and deem them unworthy of help.

Or worse, see their stats and instigate a fight.

You knew how to survive already, so those alternated versions denying what you already didn’t have didn’t bother you.

But if they were to play their little Judgement game, then there was going to be dust.

You decided it was best to prepare yourself for a fight mentally; then whatever outcome you got you didn’t waste your time regretting your potential inaction.

The soft rhythmic pounding of shoes against dirt and scattered foliage brought a sick, aching joy to your soul as memories of confused and desperate humans stormed through Snowdin’s forests came to the forefront of your mind.

Naively following your sweet, concerned voice. The gentle reassurance that you knew a place that was safe from the Monsters. That you were human too and that they did something to you. You needed help. You wanted to go home.

And there you were…in the snow, curled up with tiny fists to your eyes as your shoulders wept. The relief that would come to their face when they saw another human. Their bold declaration that they would do everything in their power to save you, to save themselves and find a way out…

All before they fell into one of Papyrus’ traps~

Or better yet, Sans’ axe.

Watching the life drain for their face as they cursed your betrayal. Hating your existence, claiming you were the worst monster in the Underground. You used to care about humans’ opinions of you…once upon a time. After all, you were one of them. You lived among them.

But not anymore. Monsters raised you.

Thus, you had better things to worry about - like carving up Sans and Papyrus’ dinner.

Sometimes they were still alive when you did it…that was fun…having company while you worked.

Even if it was mostly screaming.

…

The easiest kills were always the fools who believed there was hope in the Underground.

…

It was unfortunate that you couldn’t get rid of these annoyances that were planning on sending you back to that staving hellscape, but it would bring more trouble than it was worth killing them without hearing them out.

You owed Sans and Papyrus a semi-peacefully life after all they had done for you.

You could be patient. 

“WAIT!” Cream shouted.

Your body shuddered involutory.

Fortunately, you didn’t have to overthink your potential relationship with the alternate versions any longer since a long, high-pitched whistle rung out throughout the forest, stopping your pursuers in their tracks, expecting to encounter an unseen danger.

You, however, returned with a similar quick short whistle.

\- Incoming

“Are you slowpokes coming or what?” You called out without revealing yourself before continuing with your journey.

Another snapping branch and a flash of your tiny body disappearing amongst the trees drew the concerned skeletons’ attention and drawing them into a clearing near one of the mountain’s many streams.

Sans and Papyrus were already standing by, waiting for you. Their postures were tense with full expectations of a fight breaking out but were waiting…just waiting for your command, telling them to go all out.

Just as your feet touched the ground, you leapt once more, sending yourself flying through the air and landing on Papyrus’ shoulder.

Perched proudly from the taller skeleton’s shoulder, you quickly checked over the shorter brother companion. Sans was on his brother’s righthand side, axe clenched tightly in his boney hand; and from where you were sitting, you saw the shocked and nauseated reaction of your closest friend as the team finally broke into the clearing.

His massive red eye darted over his opponents in a matter of seconds before it finally landed firmly on Cream…

His face was cold…colder than you had ever seen it. Even the mention of Undyne never brought that type of sickness to your friend’s expression.

…

And you knew… _exactly_ how he felt.

…

You quickly looked up at your Papyrus who…you found…didn’t have much of an expression. Although, in the same vein as Sans, his eye-lights were firmly on the blue-hoddie Sans. It seemed the similarities weren’t lost on them.

Papyrus hated how he didn’t play an active role when Undyne attacked that he wasn’t there to protect him.

That regret wrecked him.

You listened when he told you his newfound ambition to stand by Sans’ plan to hunt and eat humans… Although you couldn’t help but wonder…just how much of that determination was really his own. Feeding him human meat didn’t exactly help his…stability.

But if that was what made him feel better, you weren’t exactly going to argue.

*********

After you were done carefully assessing your boys for their reactions and their opinions on this deal you were going to cut them, you finally decided to examine your new arrivals.

Just by clothing alone, you hated the similarities, sure! …But the _differences_ between Anny and the blue-hoodie Sans were haunting.

Blue-hoodie had thicker bones – fuller, well-fed, and cared for (from Papyrus’ insistence…you were positive). His grin was less eery and more cautious. It was only at that moment you knew Anny had too many teeth… another side-effect. It seemed Sans hadn’t fixed his stupid posture either! There was still that slight slouch in his spine and shoulders! You told him so many times to fix it before it became permanent and he started complaining about creaking aches.

His hands were stuffed in his pockets… He was the one who told you to keep your hands available at all times. You’d think he’d follow his own advice.

Then again, he always was a hypocrite.

And the ketchup stains that you had previously and painstakingly scrubbed out from the corners of the pockets were still there! It was such a pain to get out, especially when the Woshua began hoarding the soaps and detergents.

You could see the seam in the corner his fuzzy pink slipper slowly coming undone.

That took you forever to get him to surrender those slippers over long enough to finally fix them, you stupid Monster!

Eh?

Why were you so concerned about this alternate version?

You didn’t know him!

Sure! He looked like your Sans before the full extent of the famine hit. But that was it!

Who knows what secret nasties went on in his universe?!

Given that none of the skeletons looked brittle or ready to dust, a famine-riddled universe was clearly not the standard metric for alternate universes; but given that red turtleneck replaced a tooth with a golden one, violence and higher LVs were still debatable.

Whether LVs got as high as yours though was an entirely other question.

But going back to your original hypothesis:

\- Did Sanses share the same habits resulting from their personalities, or were you just getting paranoid over nothing?

*********

Your eyes snapped at red turtleneck Sans…

The light knicks and cracks that littered his skull were almost unnoticeable if not for your familiarity with them.

You could already imagine the worst of it that was hidden away under that thick clothing of his.

Speaking of this red, angry Sans! His leather jacket’s material was too thick for any condiment to stain anything but the inner lining. So, that didn’t offer any additional insight into whether or not Sans/Sans personalities were all the same.

Frustrating but that can’t be helped.

But that just meant you had to turn to his shoes…

SNEAKERS?!

You grit your teeth together.

Sure! It was Sans-appropriate to be too lazy to tie his own damn shoelaces, but since proper shoes had a longer lifespan than those rutty old slippers, it didn’t surprise you that they were still in tack.

A dead-end…

But his posture was _almost_ the same as blue-hoodie Sans. No, this one stood a little taller than the first, which you could only chalk up to maintaining a strict and unwavering disposition when surrounded by enemies.

It was saddening, but not unfamiliar.

Though, it was probably with this Sans that you felt any type of kinship with…

Survival…huh?

You wondered how he was managing with this peaceful universe…

****

Your eyes then shifted to the orange-hoodie Papyrus.

You weren’t stupid.

This Papyrus’ posture and simplistic clothing choice were more than enough to tell you he was a Sans-personality. However, it was hard to tell exactly how much of Sans’ personality he had. For one, his clothes were too clean! His hoodie was completely clear of stains, and as far as you knew, Papy never picked up Anny’s dirty laundry since, “He’s An Adult And Needs To Take Responsibility For His Own Things, Even If I Hate It.”

So, if this orange Papyrus had a brother (which you were sure he did), that looked like Sans but acted like Papy, then there was no way his clothes should be clean! Because he would be attempting to instil some type of discipline into the lazy sod!

…Alternate Universes…how you hated them…

Daring a glance down at his shoes, (converses, of course…) his laces were also left untied.

You wished the Judges were just stupid enough to trip on them.

But getting back to your hypothesis!

None of your observations helped with your dilemma!

What was it about the blue-hoodie so aggravating?!

*********

“Little Lady? You’re Grinding Your Teeth Again,” Papyrus whispered.

…

You paused and gingerly rubbed your cheek.

Your jaw was starting to hurt…

“Sorry, Papy…” You muttered before clearing your throat.

You coughed, catching the attention of your newfound ‘guests’ and could only feel your smile widen with a crinkle at the shock that lined their faces at seeing your human soul.

The only one who didn’t react was Cream.

Which only further confirmed that orange Papyrus was, in fact, a Judge.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, gentlemen. Jester! I see you brought quite the selection of skeletons. A handsome bunch too~ might I add. Though I didn’t realise you needed so many extra hands taking down a couple of old bones like ourselves~ You giggled.

G only returned a cold and uncaring gaze.

You wouldn’t be surprised if your first meeting was still fresh on his mind. You could hardly blame him for it if it was. Encounters with death left a ‘strong’ impression on the soul after all. You were mildly curious how he was related to the others given that he didn’t physically look like a Sans or a Papyrus in any respect.

G’s skull was longer and smoother and hardly resembled a normal skull’s formation. It was almost cartoonish by human standards; however, it could be entirely normal for a Monster of his calibre. While you weren’t entirely sure the extent of G’s physical or magical strengths, you knew better than to underestimate an outlier.

Even more so when you found out, there were multiple Sans and Papyruses and noticed the complete lack of similarities between G and the rest of the skeletons.

Outliers were unpredictable and dangerous.

You were glad you managed to get the jump on him when you did; otherwise, you wouldn’t be in as strong a position as you were right that moment. Then again, you weren’t entirely sure if your presence might’ve accidentally provided some type of evidence to work in their favour.

But if they were almost all like your Sans and Papyrus, then you knew _exactly_ what buttons to push.

You weren’t going to let this opportunity slip past you.

But before your mind wandered off devising an entirely new plot, something moved in your peripheral vision.

When you turned your head a slight fraction, you noticed your Sans’ grip on his axe tighten. His eye was on you, and you knew he had seen the plotting look on your face. He hated the fact that you were keeping him out of your plans for them, but there was no helping it.

Once Sans got an idea into his head, he would follow through with it until he either got the result he wanted or burned himself out.

You had watched him deteriorate in his room as he tried to puzzle out equation after equation in an attempt to fix the CORE. Those horrid etchings in the wallpaper were still there even when you left – as if it were some kind of constant reminder of his failures.

You weren’t going to let him do that to himself again.

So, no matter how much he bitched and moaned, you weren’t going to let him in on your plans.

But you also weren’t about to stop him from preparing for a fight. 

*********

The small crowd of skeletons looked amongst themselves but didn’t comment on your strange introduction. Even G looked tense at your presence. There was no faulting them, a human your size had never been seen before, but you could tell by the way they shifted from foot to foot that your disgustingly high-LV unsettled them immediately.

They could imagine all they liked about all the horrid and grotesque things you did to get to the LV you were right now. 

“You haven’t said anything, and already you sound like you could use an afternoon nap.” You commented with a snicker.

Their spines snapped straight, as all eye-lights were on you immediately as if you had read their minds.

Sans-personalities~

So predictable~

“Well, we don’t have all day now, do we, gentlemen? How about some names, hmm?”

There was a cough from the far end of the group. You turned to see orange Papyrus step forward first with a calculating glint in his socket. It was honestly a little surprising to see, given that you expected Cream to be all gung-ho about making new friends and all that nonsense.

“stretch… given that you’ve already figured out so much about us, there’s no need to explain why we have nicknames.”

“Ohoho, naturally, but it wouldn’t be polite to toot my own horn in the presence of guests. So, is it Sans or Papyrus?

“you already know a sans brought all of us here, so there’s no way in hell we’re telling you our real names!”

“Shame~ but worth a try, I guess. Given that you all have nicknames, I’ll leave whatever name you want to call me up to you.”

Another skeleton stepped forward, “name’s red, and not like we got much of a choice, huh, sweetheart?”

“You’re right. Don’t have a name, unfortunately, and never really bothered picking one… None of them really…fit.”

You would have loved to have a name to give, but there was that pesky little hurdle of not remembering who you were as a human being before you fell into the Underground.

Sure, you knew plenty of useless facts and details on humans, how they lived, how society functioned, and why they chose to live their lives like that. But anything related to you as an individual gave you splitting headaches.

It was simply easier to raise yourself as a Monster instead.

Anny had already grilled you about not having a name back when you first met, but your LV and EXP were still available for the Judges to see.

You help a hand over your mouth to conceal your smile, “Having trouble seeing my name on the hub, gentlemen?”

That caught their attention.

“you know about our role?” the blue-hoodie Sans finally said.

“And your name, bone boy?”

“…ketchup.”

“A pleasure~ As for your question, Ketch - of course, I know. You don’t live with the same pair of skeletons for more than ten years and not know what they hide in their closets.”

“t-ten years!” Ketchup replied.

“…never seen a doll like you before in any universe, toots,” Red growled.

“And I wouldn’t expect you to.” You offered with a smirk, “I fell _after_ that bastard human child left the Underground.”

A pregnant pause filled the air.

“…frisk or chara?” Stretch asked.

“…frisk!” Anny spat viscously. “…came through and dusted a number of us and disappeared…king dead and the human souls were gone... had their fun and left us to dust.”

You kicked your bound cloth feet out and listened for the soft poofs against Papyrus’ brittle scarf. Unwilling memories flashes before your eyes. Instead, you tried to distract yourself with useless little facts about your boys as you always did to calm yourself down.

…Papy…He always loved that tattered cape turned scarf. Despite its holes, he took the best care of it. It was a simpler time back then. You think he wears it now out of sentimentality than actual interest in superheroes.

You needed to calm down before you said something unnecessary.

The Underground…how much would you reveal?

These men were Sanses. They didn’t care about your history or sympathies unless it produced results. And then there were the lone wolves, the outliers…G and Cream.

Best to gauge their opinions.

“No comment, Jester? Cream?”

G folded his arms and stared harder at you, innocently sitting on the callosal Papyrus’ shoulder. But your attention wasn’t really on him; instead, your eyes were trained firmly on their Papyrus. Cream, as he nicknamed himself.

His eyes-light…while downcast were filled with a melancholic aura as he shot concerned glances at your Sans.

Given the similarities, you weren’t surprised that the sight of Anny’s dust-worthy wound caught his attention. Seeing your brother, your only family in such a state would dust any other soul in seconds.

“I have plenty of questions,” G bit back, “but I get the feeling you won’t answer them.” As he raised a sarcastic bone brow.

“You won’t know unless you ask~.” You chimed.

“You’re human?”

“Bingo!”

“Smaller than anyone in recorded human history?”

“Being a functioning adult at four-inches? I’d like to think so.”

“How?”

“No clue. Just woke up in the Underground like this.” You shrugged your shoulders.

“…Fine. Last question,” G dropped his arms and stood as tall as possible as if to impose some type of authority, “Since you’re clearly speaking for your group, how did their physical bodies become that way?”

You sat back, your smirk morphing into a more twisted smile.

“Easy. I fed Anny and Papy humans. It was ‘eat or be eaten’, and I will never, _ever_ let them dust.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I'm late...in my defence, it's technically still Friday hehehehe. 
> 
> Thank you again to every who commented and left a kudos, they always make my day! If you guys would like to hang out or answer questions you're more than welcome to find me on Tumblr @littlelilies.
> 
> And I will hopefully see you lovelies next Friday


	4. The Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to strike up a deal...and maybe share a little backstory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning/Trigger Warning: Gore

“Easy. I fed Anny and Papy humans. It was ‘eat or be eaten’, and I will never, _ever_ let them dust.”

*********

The second those words came out of your mouth; you got the exact reaction you wanted.

Disgust, horror, scientific intrigue, marred all of their faces as they took cautious steps back. They were no different from the humans you spied on when they first entered Snowdin. Although, at least this time, you finally got to take a bit of credit for what was happening around you.

The control…the power fear gave you was…intoxicating~

Naturally, you tried to keep your wits about you when it came to giving in to your bloodlust. Sans had informed that the higher your LVs were, the less sane you became, but you were at least having fun teetering close to the edge.

Anny and Papy remained stock still as if they were puppets…silently waiting for you to tug on their strings. You trusted that they were ready to defend you if these newcomers were to try to take you forcefully, but if they were to suggest a better deal in exchange for your surrender…well, you weren’t about to let an opportunity like that pass. 

After all, there was nothing like implying you treated them like dogs to raise a little sympathy for them.

It wasn’t that you _wanted_ to potentially separate from your boys, but if it did come down to it, it would be best if their new “guardians” believed they were under the control of something more sinister and didn’t make their own choices.

Stepping up fully on Papy’s shoulder with a hand on the side of his skull to keep yourself balanced, you continued to lord over the meeting.

“Now! If that answers all of your invasive little questions - how about this little deal, hmm? It might’ve been a few days, but I distinctly remember being promised a place to stay with food. We won’t get in anyone’s ways~.” You teased.

“like hell, we’re letting you anywhere near anyone, you bat-shit crazy bitch!” Red spat, stepping forward.

“red…” Ketchup attempted to hush.

Red whipped around on his softer counterpart in relentless fury, as they began making vague gestures to each other. You watched as the silent conversation screamed volumes to you and Anny that whatever plan they had in place required one or all you to return for whatever plot they had cooking.

It was hard to tell whether they were going to split you up or not.

But you weren’t about to let them make a rational decision while in your presence.

“Not to interrupt your messy little divorce-in-the-making, you two – as much fun as it is,” You heard Anny snort from beside you. “We might live in the woods, but we don’t exactly have all day.”

Red bit back his sarcastic insults, but seeing your amused and defiant face only infuriated him more. You could feel the temptation to rip you from Papy’s shoulder and pop your skull underneath his shoe, and just soak in that satisfying crunch of snapping bone and oozing liquid.

Curious though, you wondered whether it would sound more like stepping on a crunchy chip or squeezing a single piece of bubble wrap. Unfortunately, given your size, you wouldn’t make a massive mess…that’s a shame, but at least you knew your remains would track on the carpet when he got home.

Nothing like one final “fuck you” like trying to get brain matter out of the carpet. 

“While I enjoy fun and games as much as the next Monster, I also don’t like wasting time with useless pleasantries. So, let’s get down to business, shall we...?”

You paused for a second when a sudden thought crossed your mind, “Sans.” You called. 

You ignored the twitches in the two shorter skeletons, but you also didn’t dare look at Anny when you addressed him.

This was going to be a long discussion that you didn’t need him listening to - especially if it made him angry or worse yet, openly defied you in front of them. He was more than welcome to do it when it was only the three of you – Hell! He was more than welcome even to attempt to kill you!

Not that you wouldn’t fight back, but it would be nice to be finally put you out of your misery.

But Anny wouldn’t do that, if only because he would want to do something far worse than simply lopping off your head or eating you whole. 

Even though this universe was a haven and you’d love to stay forever, there were still too many landmines to navigate before peace was an option.

“yeah?”

You finally turned to stare Anny in his buzzy red eye-light.

“Go take a walk. I don’t need you here.”

…

He didn’t flinch or grind his teeth with a complaint at your command.

…

But he didn’t move at all either.

…

He was as silent as a ghost. As if he was attempting to blend into the background in the hopes of eavesdropping.

“Sans.” Your voice grew colder.

…

He flinched at that.

You knew the others noticed too.

…

He hated it, but he did as you said.

…

“tsk…sure, boss.” Sans turned around, carelessly tossing his axe onto his shoulder, “call when you’re ready.”

…

“Naturally.”

Eventually, Sans disappeared among the trees, and the world returned to the eery tense silence that surrounded everyone.

You didn’t dare look at the others after that tense exchange. You were more worried about Anny.

Papy not willing to take any more of the stress while surrounded by the paradox of familiar faces on strangers, opted to shift his massive distorted frame and sat down on the ground.

Surprised by the sudden displacement, you pressed your hands and face against the side of his skull.

“Are You Okay?” Papy whispered.

“…I don’t know… Sans can get angry at me when I call him back… but we need this to work.”

Papyrus’ gazed scanned the crowd of skeletons. They were confused by his sudden decision to sit but eventually decided it was best to accept the unofficial peace offering. You allowed them a moment to whisper amongst themselves now that Anny was out of the picture.

Although it was clear you were in charge of the entire operation, you knew your tiny stature wasn’t as threatening as they expected and could only assume that without your greatest weapon within dusting distance, they felt somewhat safer.

“Will I Be Enough?” Papy whispered his concerns.

“Yes…if they do anything…hold your copy hostage unless I say otherwise. And be careful of the orange one. You don’t look like his brother. So, he won’t hesitate.”

Papy just nodded a fraction of an inch, so he didn't alert the others.

*****

In a similar show of “good faith” (if the skeletons wanted to call it that) you jumped off of Papy’s shoulder and instead moved to his knee, where you were now met with more eye-lights from above than you were comfortable with.

You felt itchy being out in public for too long.

It was time to shift their focus again.

“Cream, dear~” You began.

The group stiffened at the sound of you singling out the sweetheart among them, “I’d love to know what do you think~ Anny’s a real charmer, isn’t he? Little rough around those cracked edges, but you know how it is.”

“was it you who did –?!” Ketchup attempted to interrupt.

“I wasn’t talking to you!” You glared before smiling innocently again, “I asked Cream a question, and I’d like to hear his thoughts on the matter. Poor thing hasn’t gotten a chance to speak yet.”

“you backwards c-!” Red swore.

You rolled your eyes and lent back with a sigh.

“If you want something from us, then we’re going to have a conversation~! Otherwise, just leave so I can go back to psychologically destroying the town nearby…”

You sounded tired.

Were you tired?

It’s already felt like a really long day.

You weren’t used to talking to this many people in one go for so long.

“And~” You added, “since I now know Monsters are free to roam about as they please, you wouldn’t have an issue with me introducing Anny and Papy to those adorable townsfolks either, correct?”

That shut them up pretty quickly.

The threat of integrating known killers into society without their express supervision didn’t inspire confidence, but that didn't surprise you in the slightest.

You could feel the hatred bleeding off of Stretch, Red, and Ketchup.

“So! I’ll ask only one more time… Cream…what do you think, dear?”

All eyes soon turned to Cream.

You analysed him with immense amounts of consideration.

The waves of emotions were etched deeply into his skull - despair and sadness marred the underside of his sockets. It obviously disturbed him significantly, seeing not just his brother, but Papy’s hulking, twisted and distorted figures where it looked like it physically pained them to continue existing. The disjointed and blood-stained teeth that left Papy's jaw hung up slightly to avoid putting pressure on them, and scratched and 

Nervousness joined his laced phalanges as he was confronted with your sudden interested in his thoughts and opinions on this whole ideal. Your question was board, so you couldn’t fault him for being unable to find the safest position to start offering his insight without exposing whatever plan the others had devised or just coming across as rude.

But despite all the negative emotion in the air, his back stood firm. He still had hope, and it reflected strongly in his unwrinkled suit.

You wondered what type of business this Papyrus specialised in that allowed him to present himself so steadfast and proud in the fast of such a stressful situation.

“…WHAT IS YOUR UNDERGROUND LIKE?” He finally asked.

…

“What?”

…

The question escaped before you could stop it.

You frowned...

That wasn’t what you were expecting, but something about that question annoyed you.

You observed hauntingly as this well-dressed, slightly pampered Papyrus finally looked you in the eyes and asked the question again with a stronger resolve.

“WHAT IS YOUR UNDERGROUND LIKE?” He repeated firmer this time, probably glad he found _that_ particular loophole in your question.

There it was.

That thing that grated on your nerves.

“Was.” You finally said.

“PARDON?”

“Was. What _was_ my Underground like?”

The skeletons around the Papyrus-copy stiffed.

They got what they needed.

Your stance on the machine.

You didn’t want to go back.

…

Perfect~

…

Now, to just cement that idea in a little bit more.

Propping your elbows onto your knees and cupping your face, you ran your tongue over your teeth.

How were you going to tell this story?

You needed their sympathies to get a place to stay and food. Although house arrest didn’t exactly sound too appealing, what other options were there, given that the second they saw your souls, they knew all of you were unrelenting killers.

So, they were more than likely going to put you under some type of constant watch…but just near enough to the machine that they would be able to interrogate you and Sans for a chance at information on how to fix their mistake.

Even though you found it challenging to guess Monsters’ ages, you could only assume that by how they reacted to the fact that ten years passed since the previous human fell, Anny and Papy were considerably older than the rest of them.

So…you were an alternate timeline then.

Interesting, but that was beside the point.

What you needed wasn’t the machine.

No…

What you needed was time.

And a lot of it.

*****

“Where should I start? Your choice, sweet pea.” You smiled warmly, “Let’s have a little chat about the possible future you and your brother could’ve found yourselves in.”

A shiver ran up their spines as their eye-lights once again landed on Papy’s horrific state.

“FROM THE START…WHEN YOU FELL.”

Cream didn’t back down.

He never did when he set his mind to something, did he?

“Excellent!” You chimed before taking a deep, calming breath, “…I woke up in The Ruins already like this - tiny, helpless, and without any memories about who I was. But I knew a hell of a lot about The Surface!

“Before I knew I had the strength of a full-sized human crammed inside of me, I walked through those dust-filled empty hallways only eating leaves and begging to any higher power that I drank enough water to make it to the next room.

“Luckily, I… ‘arrived’ at Toriel’s place and sorted myself out. That was when I heard the news of the revolution. Turns out the human before me…Frisk? Is that what Anny called them? Oh well, so yeah, Frisk dusted a considerable number of Monsters and sparing others on a complete whim. When they arrived at the palace, they killed King Asgore and left. The six human souls never to be seen again.”

The sudden intake of breath at the announcement that one of the Underground’s key political figure was brutally murdered and the only hope of escape vanished into thin air, putting them back at square one did not bode well. But the group continued to listen.

“By the time I reached Toriel’s house, I learned she had been overthrown for attempting to push a peace treaty with humans… That crazy bull-head bitch was the one who spearheaded the revolution, she-!” You stopped.

You wanted to get the words out.

You wanted to spill your guts about all the evil shit that stupid fake Empress did to you and Sans! But the words…they were caught in your throat. 

…

You were shaking…

Why couldn’t you feel your hands?

Attempting to close your hands into fists suddenly felt like the most impossible task in the world.

…

You felt light-headed…

…

When did you start breathing so quickly?

…

Why couldn’t you hear anything?

…

A gloved hand wrapped itself around the front of you, hiding you away from the others as if giving you space to breathe again finally. You felt yourself being lifted carefully and moved into Papy’s ratty scarf. He tucked you in without a word.

When did you feel so tired?

Where was Anny?

Was he safe?

…

“Papy…where’s Anny?” You managed to whisper.

“I’ll Call Him When I Finish Telling The Rest Of The Story. You Need To Rest.”

“…Okay…”

*****

The short piercing whistle was what woke you from your nightmare riddled nap. To say you were groggy was an understatement.

Pulling yourself out from under the folds of Papy’s scarf, you snuck a peeked at the group as they stood further away towards the edge of the clearing.

“Papy, what’s going on?”

“Ah, Good Evening, Little Lady,” Papy practically beamed, “I Hope You Had A Fitful Sleep.”

“I feel like shit.”

“Even Better!”

“You’re so cruel to me, Papy~ Do you enjoy breaking ladies’ hearts, you Casanova?”

“You Falsely Accuse Me, My Dear. I’ve Managed To Secure Us A Place To Stay!” Papy announced proudly.

“Huh? Say that again? Found us a place to stay? How? Where’s Sans?”

If you weren’t so groggy, you were sure you would’ve figured out the missing pieces by now, but you already didn’t like the fact that the rest of the deal happened while you were passed out from a panic attack.

Now, you all you could feel was frustration and anger. You always thought you were better than this. That you had better control over your PTSD and panic attacks, but no amount of rationalising was going to help when it came to remembering anything related to that cow.

You were furious that the “Empress” still had that effect on you.

What you would give to rip her other eye out – to feel the liquid matter gel up your fingers as you held that massive ball of jelly in your tiny hands and pop it right next to her ear. You wanted to watch her lose whatever hope of survival was left in her drain away and bathe in her dust when she finally realised there was nothing left worth fighting for.

You hated her.

Despised her.

And no matter how squishy or “reformed” this universe’s version was, you prayed to whatever higher power above that the two of you never meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again so my for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. I honestly have a lot of fun writing characters who enjoy being evil. 
> 
> We got a little insight into our backstory, and if you're interested in reading more of the emotional details you can find it here: [Horror Bitty's Adventures in the Underground](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28500972/chapters/69836481)
> 
> If that isn't your cup of tea, don't worry, I won't be going too deeply in the backstory during this fic unless it's necessary. So, you don't have to worry about missing out on anything if it isn't your thing.


	5. Out in the Open

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anny's back and you two share a moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg, okay, so not for the first half, but definitely the second - I was listening to [Her Joy Was Complete](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1iplefMjIQ) and got emotional. It will be where the five stars appear if you want to join me in the experience hehehe. 
> 
> So yeah! Have fun hehehe.

As you attempted to untangle yourself from Papy’s scarf, still fuelled by anger at the mere thought of the Empress, you were surprised when you felt a pinch at the back of your makeshift, blood-stained and oversized shirt. Then the feeling of rushing wind passed as you were hauled into the air by who you could only assume was Anny.

The only reason you assumed it was Anny was that Papy made it a habit to politely offer his hand or scoop you up in your entirety. While Anny preferred holding you at arm’s length like a drowned cat just because he thought it was funny.

So, that was where you found yourself – exhausted, dangling in the air facing an otherwise amused Papy as you heard the smirk in Anny’s voice as he began to speak.

Fortunately for your pride, the rest of the skeleton group were off on the other end of the clearing having their own intense discussion without offering a single glance in your direction.

“heh. it seems paps beat you at your own game, bite-size.” Anny chimed.

While you were glad to hear that Anny was back from his little nature walk or hunting expedition, you felt forced to accept your current, helpless position given how you treated him earlier to maintain your group’s façade of a hierarchy while in the presence of your enemies.

Thinking on it though, Anny only came back because of the whistle that initially woke you up. Papy must’ve called him once the discussion was over. 

“Yeah, yeah, rub it in, Anny,” You rolled your eyes, and while your voice was jovial, you couldn’t hide the smallest hint of sadness in your eyes, “With you and Papy getting your strength back, I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t need me to help keep you guys sane anymore. Papy’s a smart cookie, strong too – wouldn’t have any trouble getting money or food. And let’s not forget you, your temper and cravings have gotten a lot better. I haven’t woken up in a mouth in a while~!!!”

Papy’s features fell only a fraction as he eyed you with concern, but he didn’t say anything from where he was still sat on the ground. You didn't pay the taller skeleton any mind... No, instead, you were focused on Anny.

Sure, you shared your feelings with the two of them plenty of times, but…it was hard. You were meant to be their beacon of hope, ideas and opportunities to your boys, so they never succumb to Falling Down.

…If they knew you were suffering from those symptoms…then what hope did they have.

You had to stay strong.

Even if it meant your anxiety only ever came out when you were overwhelmed or during those forgetful quiet times.

Maybe that was why you found it easier to talk to Anny about emotional junk than Papy – you could trust Anny’s faulty memory to forget those times you were vulnerable. You didn’t want him to keep a constant concerned watch over you.

He could be a real mother hen sometimes. 

“…heh, speakin’ of eatin’, i need to pay you back for knockin’ my teeth out.” 

“Oh, give over, Anny, that was, what, four-five years ago! And let’s not forget - you snuck in and took me out of Papy’s room to eat me! Besides, you got them back just fine when the next human arrived.”

“…the tragic life of a starving sans~ eating humans cuz the boss can’t look after her charges.”

“That’s not the poi- Ah!”

Unfortunately for you, Anny dramatically whipped the hand he was using to hold you up to press the back of it against his forehead while leant back slightly to add physical emphasis to his teasing melodrama.

And while he pulled this stunt enough times that you fully expected your tiny body to bounce off of his palm or forehead again, you were stunned when, instead, you crashed painfully into the hard, jagged surface of his head wound. One of the sharper edges tore through your dress and slice along the side of your stomach.

You could feel blood immediately begin to soak your dirty clothes and stick to the wound.

The furious hiss that escaped your lips, fortunately, it didn’t draw the others’ attention.

The burning hot pain shot through every nerve in your body, as you felt your wound begin to fester every time a piece of the disgusting cloth sank deeper inside of you, refusing to release itself from your exposed flesh.

After all the years you spent filled with nothing but stress and gore, if there was one thing you hated, it was your complete phobia of germs. Because you knew from the first day you fell into the Underground and scratched up your arms, that you didn’t have the necessary medical supplies to protect you from infection.

And you could only vaguely remember the worst things that could happen to the human body if a wound went untreated. Hell, you were already fortunate enough that you came out with all of your limbs still intact. Nothing forcefully amputated because of some unknown disease.

Heh, although if it did ever reach that point, you could see Anny happily volunteering to do the job.

Probably would do it for the extra meal.

And while the wound stung like a bitch, it wasn’t the first time you and Anny toyed with each other in such a sadistic manner.

If you didn’t do it every once in a while, you’d worry if the other was sick or dying. 

Anny always treated any wounds he left on you with whatever clean cloth and ointment you had lying around, and you did the same.

Maybe that was why Anny had an easier time telling when you were relaxed than when you meant business – besides when you used his real name.

“You nutcase, you’re doing that on purpose~! Abusing my poor bitty body! – again! Might I add!”

Although you couldn’t see Anny’s face from where he painfully dangled you, you could make out the hues of red from his eye-light and watched as it rolled before he pulled you away. You didn’t begrudge him for getting back at you for isolating him from the previous conversation about his and Papy’s living arrangements. But you knew that if he caught any words that implied house-arrest or anything that restricted his movements, then dust was going to be shed.

You didn’t want him reliving the time he was pinned down and had his eye viciously ripped out of his socket. You couldn't do that to him.

Anny deserved better than to be trapped by another Monster. 

While it seemed hypocritical when only moments ago you were praising him for soothing his temper over the last month and a half - he was only getting calmer around you and Papy since food shortages and fighting off other starving Monsters was no longer a to constant source of stress and sleepless nights.

But that didn’t mean Anny held those same reservations for any outside of your group.

He still wouldn’t hesitate to rip someone’s arm off or tear a Monster’s soul out if it meant they got in his way.

And speaking of those housing arrangement plans, you were honestly relieved Papy was there with you. Even though you were initially hesitant about him staying, you weren't about to ignore credit where credit was due. 

Although you did need to find out the finer details of the arrangement, you were going to have to wait until you could get Papy alone.

Maybe before you sang him his lullaby. 

*********

Taking a quick cautious glance over at the skeleton group and taking a haggard but steady sigh of relief that they couldn't smell your blood from where the three of you were. You did, however, notice that they appeared to be more relaxed since talking to Papy. So, you didn't allow your mind to use that point of argument to run yourself further into the ground and cautiously allowed yourself to relax a little. 

However, as you did so, Anny pulled you away from his forehead and gently placed you in the palm of his hand with a gentleness that you rarely saw from him.

You stared up with intrigued and curious eyes at the otherwise focused skeleton. Your mind was oddly blank because of the sight despite the occasional bursts of pain that flooded your system with each movement.

You didn’t even realise your hand was clasped over the wound until it was gingerly pulled away by the massive boney thumb of the hand holding you up.

What was Anny doing?

Eventually, you soon realised what he planned on doing by the time his free hand tugged the tear of your dress a little wider so he could get a clearer look at your wound.

“Hey! Hey! Uh, Anny!” Your voice came out sharper and higher-pitched than you expected, which unknowingly drew the wayward group’s attention.

“shut up. i won’t eat you.”

He drew you closer to his mouth.

“I-I know that, but -!”

Then as expected, a thick dark blue tongue snaked out of Anny’s mouth and slid its way over the wound on the side of your stomach. The warm sliminess of the send shivers through your system from a range of emotions: disgusts, relief and a little lust. The feeling reminded you of when a dog last licked you. The gross feeling of needing to take a bath while your soul sang at the warm affection showered over you.

He pulled back for only a moment to wiped the first layer of blood off on the inside of his mouth. 

You felt your face burn with embarrassment as his tongue soon returned and ran over the wound a second time, but that was when you felt it - the soft shimmering of green magic that slowly began to stitch the flesh together.

It was a sight you didn't expect to behold.

And that was because Anny didn’t know a lick of healing magic!

“When did you learn to do that?!” You cried out.

The man just shrugged as if it was the most natural thing in the world, but you weren’t going to take that for an answer. Tentatively twisting your upper body to test your newly repaired stomach with only the slightest twinge of pain compared to before, you slowly pulled yourself up to your feet and pressed both of your fists into your hips.

“Come on, spit it out, Anny. You’re still recovering, and you’re suddenly teaching yourself new magic! You’re going to collapse if you over-exert yourself.”

How long had it been since your body was wracked with so many emotions?

Sure, you were worried about your boys every second of the day, wondering if they were going to reach seeing another day.

But this was different somehow…

This was Anny…

No…

Sans.

...

Sans was regaining his independence…

...

Which meant he was pulling away from you.

...

But...

...

He was using that freedom to stay by your side.

...

To heal you.

Heh...heh... it sounded like a bad joke.

But you weren't laughing... because... more than anything...

You were thankful.

You were still unbelievably worried without a doubt.

But that just proved just how much you loved him.

“I- Anny… No, Sans... thank you.”

His stunning ruby eye-light quivered for only a moment, but that told you all you needed to know. 

And he knew that too. 

“heh… come on, you big softy. paps got us a place to stay, remember?”

You couldn’t remember the last time you felt such a large smile bloom on your face, but to keep the joyful tears from falling down your face, you just silently nodded your head as Anny tucked you into the hoodie folds on his shoulder. You watched as Papy hauled his massive form off of the ground and slowly made your way over to join the small group of skeletons that were patiently waiting to take you to your new home.

There were still a lot of things you needed to do. But you supposed that – in the very least, for now, you were going to enjoy the first taste of freedom you, Anny and Papy had together.

“If I’m relying on you to remember things, Anny, I think I’d prefer it if you dust me now,” You laughed before a peaceful silence fell over you, “...Let’s go. We have a world to see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the lovely comments last week. I understand the last chapter was uncomfortable and raised a couple of questions that I hope this chapter could answer. 
> 
> A little shorter but sweeter hehehe.
> 
> We're leaving the forest and onto a new adventure.


End file.
